The Orc Clan: Following the Princess Rule

[Ravus Sol]

[SIZE="6"]We will fight them in the Misty Mountains... Wait does he have Octopus Priests...[/SIZE]

[SIZE="4"]Sareln of the Elves[/SIZE]

[COLOR="Orange"]To Sareln,

Mr Yellow has been hit hard enough that he now wishes to return home to deal with Hyborem. I won't know what he's done untill I get the turn but I assume he's asked for peace, open borders and has healed for a turn.

On the other hand Mackoti has declared war on myself. I assume he gave Amelia the option "join me, or die" and is now advancing through his new vassal Amelia's road network. If he is only just setting off I should have some time and might be able to kill off his army when it arrives, If he has been approaching for some time then I could be dead. I would be forever indebted if your hawks could be lucky enough to spot his stack of doom.

With this is mind my Assault squad is going to have to stay in my territory until I've dealt with Mackoti's attack force.

Ravus - The Red Wizard at war[/COLOR]

Damage control (I say this a lot).

This wasn't the world war I was expecting, I figured me vs Mr Yellow, Hyborem and Mist would fight either with military or demands, and Mackoti vs Amelia.

Well not anymore.

I now have a second attack response to plan and that's assuming we can put the final nails in the Mr Yellow assault squad. Need to tie him into a 10-turn peace treaty.

Then I need to worry about the size of the Vampire squad. The Direction. *sigh*. Oh and hope he doesn't have some Octopus Priests.

Sareln doesn't have open borders with Mackoti so their are only three directions. Through a pass east of Sarelns land. Through Amelia lands and then through the misty mountains, or through Amelia lands and then over the sea.

I have enough units scattered around that I should be able to fashion some into a scouting net on each area. But Hawks beat scouts any day of the week.

[Ravus Sol]

Oh Man, this game is crazy!

The active defense worked perfectly. I bet it was the damage dealt to his horses that made Mr. Yellow retreat. Nice play there!

Regarding Mackoti, I have to say he cracks me up. His english is so funny. Seriously, "from this turn we are war"!

Is there anyway for you to contact Krill soon? Maybe sending one priest to find him. We want him to suceed, at least a bit.

Don't give up on the armaggedon plan. The pines are a one time thing. Try to "oracle" Malevolent Designs with the Infernal Grimoire, or maybe sorcery or Iron Working. Malevolent designs would enable Mardero, Eidolons and Beasts for the AC rise.

And AV with shrine spreads like fire. Every city without a religion will have a big chance to get it. Do you have sailing yet for the trade routes like we discussed earlier (I can't remember)?

Crazy Awesome!

Yep, of course we both know this isn't the end. Mr Yellow is going to return.

His english may look funny. But his words are BACKED WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS... I MEAN VAMPIRE WARRIORS!

No forgetting he is Empire #1.

I can spot where Krill is and I was planning to expand into his general direction... Actually! You've just reminded me, I did manage to get a Wolf Rider unit, I should send that off to meet up with Krill. It's a long shot but it might work and it will be worth it.

I've shut off research for fear of needing the money for war. I might need to keep it off. I don't have horseback riding, or sailing, or Fanaticism. Those are the only three I could make use of. Iron Working could be useful I suppose, for the Ogre warren spam. I'll check the time, might be too long to get.

Sorcery is a waste while I can more easily spam Ritualists.

Getting in touch with Krill would be good. Coming in like the Infernals do, the most important thing to get is information on current events. If I find him I plan to pass along a free map, free summery of events (only slightly biased.) and try to negotiate Krill not trying to get the Grimore. It would help a lot knowing I didn't have to compete.

[Ellimist]

Getting in touch with Krill would be good. Coming in like the Infernals do, the most important thing to get is information on current events. If I find him I plan to pass along a free map, free summery of events (only slightly biased.) and try to negotiate Krill not trying to get the Grimore. It would help a lot knowing I didn't have to compete.

Well, he'll have a hard time causing the AC to raise much further if he doesn't have help.

[Ravus Sol]

[SIZE="6"]The Begining of the end[/SIZE]

[SIZE="4"]Sareln of the Elves[/SIZE]

[COLOR="Green"]Mr. Yellow Moved and asked for OB to go back and try to hold against Krill. I think the lesson has been taught, and I will be allowing it.

Krill took a Misty City this last round.

Mackoti used my roads and open borders to maul your stack with fast chariots and summons. I'll send you the intel and numbers, but odds are good you're going to need to retrench in your own borders. For what it's worth, *my* intention was to have elf-land be open space for people who wanted to fight, so that you'd have an actual shot at the Vamps being actually able to see them; but with me staying out of it since if I was stuck in we'd be contending with invisible Mackoti... and I didn't see us winning that. I scouted Amelia and I see no Mackoti units there, so what you see in front of you is it (+21 vampires and a royal guard that you can't see).

Good luck. I value the cooperation we've had over this game, but I didn't see a way forward, so I got out. The map-trade I did with Mackoti reveals how this game spiraled out of control so quickly; but we play the hands we're dealt as best we can.[/COLOR]

I think this could be game over.

[Ravus Sol]

Vampire Force incoming = 21 Vampires, 4 Royal guard, 4 Chariots and 2 hawks for recon

Mackoti must be secure in his borders. This looks like the empire swing I knew could be coming from the start of the game. I don't think I can pull off a move like I did with Mr Yellow. My northern reinforcement stack is gone.

Sareln opening borders to the Vampires has killed me. With him being able to use Elvish roads he can hit me too quickly, Without the Stonewarden stack combined with home warriors and Ritualists I can't see a way...

Sareln sent along some pictures in his "farewell" letter. He got a map trade with Mackoti as well. Looks like Sareln is hoping to play middle man, a short term strategy but then he's said for awhile he wants out of the game.

Off the top of my head... I can probably muster 7-8 Ritualists. You only need around 4 rings of fire to do max damage to a stack. But thats percentage damage. I don't think Mackoti has Iron yet but those Royal guards will be the pain to break through. Rosier and Rantine havn't got enough exp to be breakers yet. The only units I had with enough exp to play that role were the high level stonewardens that are probably already dead.

The only thing I can do is play a Russian Defence. Pillage my own roads and retreat inwards. Scuttle the land itself. Mackoti will then be forced to either keep worthless cities or raze them. Razing them just boosts Krill. Keeping them means defenders need to be pealed off and I can throw diplomatic offers to Sareln hopefully try to get him to hit Mackoti from behind in 10-turns. (Note: Need to find out how badly Sareln has screwed me, Open Borders, 10 turn peace treaty and map so far. Did he also sign a NAP?).

[Nicolae Carpathia]

You can't pillage your own roads. You'll need to let Mackoti take your cities, and *then* pillage them. Assuming they haven't advanced even further.

[Ravus Sol]

[SIZE="4"]Options[/SIZE]

Negotiate peace with Mackoti?
No. I've spent 100+ turns besmirching his name. He wants me gone... However are vassals enabled? If so a Armageddon play could still be continued while as a vassal? Needs to be looked into but it is most likely both a long shot and very gimmicky.
Summery = Long shot

Defend under Siege
Mackoti has no collateral units but Spectre spam will work perfectly well with 21 vampires. Do I have a strong enough unit to suffer this? I have some Diesied corpses coming up from the south but I believe they will be too slow. Also Vampires can act as breakers against any unit strong enough to hold out against summon spam. Sometimes losing can be fine as long as you grind up some enemy units but with spectres being the main fighters Mackoti would not even lose any units in a siege.
Summery = Doomed to fail

Counterattack
Worked with Mr Yellow. But Mackoti's Vampire function as breakers, summoners and mild healers. Hard to do any significant damage in a counter attack unless the vampires are killed, not just hurt. I would need Ritualists, breakers for the Royal guards and a lot of units to grind through. Thats a lot of units to try and get in the right place at the right time.
Summery = Depends on Mackoti advancement path, positioning and luck

Retreat and reinforce
If I had better defencive positions to fall back to this could be an option. But pulling back from the Misty Mountains just opens up my whole empire to assault from Raider speeds.
Summery = I don't have any chokepoints for it

Retreat, Pillage and Melt away
This is similar to a retreat but it scuttles the enemies ability to hold the land taken. Would again work better with a place to reinforce. Best used in conjuncture with another plan. Normally this kind of defence might bankrupt the enemy but I have a feeling Mackoti is willing to shut of Research to take me out after I've been so much trouble to him.
Summery = Doable, Especially if combined with foreign aid. Hopefully a last resort.

Foreign Aid
I doubt there is anyone to call. Amelia must have been bought off for Mackoti to be attacking. Mist and Mr Yellow's political bridges have been burned summoning Krill.
Sareln is out of the war for 10 turns, I'm not sure if I will be able to bring him in then. Perhaps in relation to current events in game or out of game he seems to be burning all political bridges and changing over to a isolationist stance. Can a man with no care for the future be bribed, bought or begged to? (Note: Step up trying to get a replacement? Could be better or worse as a neighbour, would most likely stick to an isolationist stance being new... Not to mention is playing on this aspect of the game gimmicky again?)
Krill is too weak to help ME out and if circumstances were different I might be hoping to send HIM aid. Will be worth sending a envoy to him anyway just so I can try to help him out.
Summery = Krill is useful more as a last attempt at causing chaos. Any chase of WINNING needs Sareln, long shot that winning is.

Colony
Perhaps pathetic, but doable. Would be better if I could transfer the Prophecy city over to an island but you can't have everything.
Currently I have two settlers in the West, they WERE going to be used to plant forward bases for a future retaliation against Mr Yellow. But that ship has sailed. Instead I could go on a long term quest to found a hidden city far off that Mackoti can never find.
I could rush sailing... but I'm pretty sure both the islands have those defenders on them.
Summery = Rather pathetic choice. But with Research turned off could be used as a last ditch ace in the hole gambit.

Sabotage/Red herring
Destorying something that causes Mackoti to stumble or need to reinforce elsewhere... Probably nothing like this can be done as he has hawks and is using Sarelns road network not his own. If the Northern Stonewardens had survived they could have potentially peeled away to threaten Mackoti's north.
Summery = No targets and no assets to use

Enders Game
In a game of magic superweapons and Deus ex Machina do exist...

• Superweapon, Using the Grimore to pop something? Iron working or Malevolent Designs? Both could be useful. Need to know how long it would take to build.
  
• Castling, Swap empires? Melt away all troops and march army into Amelia or Mr Yellow lands to take his land as my own.
  
• Hidden Weakness/ Fools Mate, Does Mackoti have any of these? I can't spot or think of any. I have no navel or land units to hit his capital by surprise. Vampires have no super weakness apart from getting Amelia to shut off magic... and that's impossible right?
  

Summery = Fun Long shots

[Ravus Sol]

You can't pillage your own roads. You'll need to let Mackoti take your cities, and *then* pillage them. Assuming they haven't advanced even further.

Thanks, I'd forgotten that small fact.

[Ravus Sol]

Well I have the turn.

The one time I wouldn't mind having an extra day to think.

[Ravus Sol]

[SIZE="4"]Second look at Options[/SIZE]

Ender Superweapon will take 10 turns at minimum. Not adding on time for building the damn super units. In ten turns at Vampire speed I'll have lost the city I was trying to build the Grimore in anyway.

It hurts, but this option doesn't exist.

Ender Castling is tempting. Would probably fail but it would be amusing. Plan would be to march the Army West and hook up with Krill, offer an alliance. I then try to take and keep Mr Yellows empire and he tries to take Mists Empire.

Colony is doable but just seems like a half assed plan. I could offer Krill one of my two hidden cities and try to buddy up but I doubt he wants to play hide away. Its a plan doomed to future failure. Sure Mackoti could banrupt himself looking for the last city but it wouldn't give me a chance in hell of winning or anything.

Could combine Colony and Castling...

Mackoti has good info on my movements. (I have a feeling Sareln could be helping both sides now *sigh*). Combined with hawks and chariots I hold low odds at luring the vampire stack into a trap.
I have 10 Stonewardens, 10 Ritualists, 20+ Warriors, 2 Diseased corpses, 6 shamans and the heros.

Rust + Ring of fire + Attack can break the stack. The Math is there.

But I only have one shot.

Do I fight and hope for that lucky shot? Try and bait him with the shrine? Or do I turn around and march towards Mr Yellows land for a dramatic turnaround of game play?